-What In Hades Just Happened?-
by Fawkes'Flame123
Summary: Leo Valdez also known as 'Flame Boy'. Flirt and joker. What if one day Leo can't keep it up anymore? Leo/Piper (friendship), Leo/Jake(no slash), Leo/OC.


[Disclaimer: I don't own any PJO characters. Edited because of mistakes, I tried, I really tried! Hope you like the cover pic, it's mine - of my deviantART, GothicAngelEyes. Hope you enjoy]

* * *

"Dude, you're staring. _Again_," Leo was snapped out of his thoughts and looked to his right to see the owner of the voice. Jake Mason was smirking back at him with a raised eyebrow. Scoffing, Leo tried to think of something smart to say. However, _'smart'_ was not what came out of his mouth seconds later.

"Wha...I was not staring! I mean, I just, you know...it's not...oh whatever," Leo snapped at the end, feeling his face burning up as he struggled to string a comprehensible sentence together.

"Uh-uh sure, because watching her for the past 15 minutes does not count as staring," Jake smirked and added sarcastically, "that's like saying 'hey guess what, I just saw a flying monkey', _totally_ believable."

"Yeah, well...you're just...oh shut up," Leo grumbled, _'there goes smart and snapping comebacks',_ he thought. '_Dude, if you can't even think of an intelligent reply, how in Hades are you going to be able to talk to her. You'll probably set your own hair on fire or something'_, Leo thought to himself.

"I'm only joking, if you like her so much, then just go talk to her," Jake said as he shoved cereal into his mouth. Leo stared at him as if he'd grown two heads.

"I can't do that," Leo replied, "she's _way_ out of my league."

"And since when has that stopped you?" Jake asked, "plus don't beat yourself up about it, she may have a thing for guys who can work machinery and handle tools way better than people." It's true; Leo did have a thing for girls who were:

Smart

Hot

Either taken or hated him for some reason or other

And finally _way, way_ out of his league.

"I guess," Leo replied, looking back over to the Apollo table. Kiara Williams, she'd joined camp a few days after Leo, Piper and Jason had gotten back to camp after the Hera quest. The first thing Leo noticed about her was her turquoise eyes and striking fiery hair. _'Different but definitely something I like,'_ he remembered thinking. That was over two months ago and all Leo had managed to do around her was stare. He'd fallen over once on the way to bunker 9, she saw of course, he then proceeded to bumped straight into a tree and then tried to but failed at sending her a flirtatious wink. It looked like he had something stuck in his eye.

"Just do it," Jake said, "I mean what do you have to lose? Plus, it would be healthy for you to get out of bunker 9 a bit and relax."

Again, Leo stared at Jake like he'd grown a second head, "what do I have to lose? Hmm, let's see, any shred of _dignity_ I still have."

"Oh come on, Leo, you're _always _flirting and joking around," Jake said, "just be yourself and if she does like you back, then you'll have her in no time."

Leo shrugged, looking towards the Apollo table. His heart sunk when he saw that she was no longer sitting there. Turning back to his food, Leo was determined to speak up. He couldn't continue being the guy full of jokes but just stayed in the background, now could he?

* * *

Leo didn't go to bunker 9 that day. Instead, he walked up to the ocean and sat there just watching the waves. He didn't have it in him to go and work. He felt slightly put out. He never usually felt like this, at least he buried all the emotions he could behind a mask of jokes and smiles. Today was different. No matter how many jokes he shared with his cabin or Jason or Piper, nothing seemed to brighten up his mood. At breakfast when he'd been taking to Jake, it got him thinking. Was he always going to be the guy in the background? Was he always going to be second best? A third wheel all the time? Leo shook his head and stared over at the crashing waves. It was calming here. He liked it.

"Alone?" he heard a voice behind him. He turned and saw Piper smiling down at him. He shrugged and patted the area next to him. She complied and sat down next to him, watching him closely.

"What's wrong Leo?" she asked, quietly. He turned to her and tried to brush it off by throwing her a smile. It didn't work. She just stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Nothing," he sighed finally. Piper raised an eyebrow at her friend and tilted her head. Leo knew that look. It read _'tell me the truth Flame Boy.'_

"I just feel as though, I dunno, it's stupid really," Leo said, looking down at his hands. Piper put a hand on his shoulder.

"You can tell me Leo, what's wrong?" she asked, softly. He looked to her, shrugging.

"Well, I'm just tired," Leo replied, trying to move away from the topic. Piper sighed, realising she wasn't getting an answer out of him, she just gave him a hug and they sat watching the waves crash on the shore.

"Just so you know Leo," Piper said after a while of silence, Leo turned to her as she smiled and continued, "you've _never _been and _never _will be a third wheel."

Leo smiled, even though in his head, those words would never be true.

* * *

Sighing, Leo walked through camp to his cabin. He had skipped dinner so when going to his cabin, he was surprised to see someone still at the camp fire. He looked a little closer and saw that it was Kiara. He decided it was now or never. _'Be cool, be cool,_ Leo thought as he walked over.

"Hey," he said, stopping a few steps behind Kiara who was staring into the dying flames. She jumped slightly, but turned to Leo nevertheless and gave him a smile.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Leo smiled as he stepped a little closer. She shook her head and patted the space next to her on the log. Leo's heart was racing at 50 miles per hour but he tried to keep cool by grinning at her.

"It's okay, what are you doing up so late?" she asked, resting her chin in her palm as she leaned her elbow on her thigh, looking up at Leo.

"Skipped dinner, wanted to think," Leo replied in the simplest way he could think of that didn't involve him telling her the whole truth. She nodded but didn't press him.

"What about you?" Leo asked, wondering why she was the only one still left to leave. She shrugged and let a small smile reach her lips.

"Felt like watching the fire die out," she said. Leo nodded and saw that she didn't want to tell him the truth so like she hadn't, he didn't press her. A silence fell over the two as they watched the fire crackling.

"I've noticed you staring at me a lot," Kiara said after a few minutes, looking up at Leo, smirking. Gods, how Leo loved that smirk on her but then of course he blushed at her words.

"You have?" Leo asked, his voice rising slightly. Kiara nodded, the smirk on her face growing into a grin as a mischievous glint seemed to appear in her eyes. Okay, maybe Leo was seeing things but the way she was looking at him was almost frightening.

"Yeah, I have," she raised an eyebrow while biting her lip, "but I don't mind."

"Y-you don't?" Leo practically squeaked as Kiara drew up closer to him. Her face was almost inches from his, his breathing hitched, making Kiara smirk and Leo blush. Words seemed to fail him and he had no idea how to react. Her lips were so close to his...

"Nope," she shook her head and continued as she leaned closer to whisper in his ear, "if you like me Leo, fight for me."

Leo sat there shocked and slightly out of breath as she drew back. She got up simply and threw him a flirtatious smile before disappearing off towards her cabin.

_'What in Hades just happened?'_


End file.
